The Voice of Arts Education in NJ: Keeping you up to date in our field

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2018 🏅

38th Annual NJ Governor’s Awards in Arts Education!

New Jersey Students and Leaders Honored at 38th Governor's Awards in Arts Education

 On May 22, 2018, students and leaders were honored at the 38th Annual Governor's Awards in Arts Education at the Patriots Theater in the War Memorial in Trenton, New Jersey.

 

The annual event celebrates the best in arts education from across the state and recognizes the creativity, talent and leadership of the award winners. The award ceremony featured remarks by New Jersey’s Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver and Secretary of State Tahesha Way.

Kristin Wenger, retired Director of Arts Ed NJ received the Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Arts Education Award. Harrison Haney, NJ State Teen Arts Coordinator spoke of winning his State Champion in Dramatic Interpretation Award more than 10 years ago. The event featured amazing performances by Elizabeth Stuart, Chatham High School; Caelan Cardello, Teaneck High School; Madeleine Song from Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest; Claire Taylor, Red Bank Regional High School; Donovan Kazakoff and Camille Ladendorf from Hopewell Valley Central High School; Anisaa Jean-Pierre, S.T.E.M Academy Of East Orange; Nia Ashleigh Harris, St. Vincent Academy; Greg Pise, Passaic County Technical Institute; Hannah Mack, Anthony Sparacino, and Brandon Lyons from Hoboken High School; Breana Sena, Dr. Ronald McNair High School; Ananya Sankar, Montgomery High School; Casey Morrison, Academy for Performing Arts; BrieAnna Serafin, OCVTS Performing Arts Academy; Malcolm Young, Passaic County Technical Institute; Nicole Wich, Passaic County Technical Institute; Kierstyn Edore, Morris County School of Technology; and Viola Taylor, Gloucester County Institute of Technology.

This year's awards were presented to 110 students and 17 education leaders. National and statewide organizations selected the students for their exemplary work in creative writing, speech, dance, music, theatre and the visual arts. Education and arts professionals were chosen for their exceptional commitment and contribution to arts education.

 

"The Governor’s Awards in Arts Education is a celebration of the significant level of artistic excellence that is the product of the hard work of thousands of arts educators across this state,” stated Bob Morrison, Director of Arts Ed NJ. "Today’s honorees represent the highest level of achievement in their distinct art-forms and serves as a reminder why New Jersey is recognized as a leader in arts education for our nation.”

For a Complete List of All Awardees

and for more information about the Awards

We Hope You Will Join Us Next Year!

New Jersey's State Teen Arts Festival & Arts Ed Now

As students gathered for three days at Ocean County College for  New Jersey's State Teen Arts Festival ,  Arts Ed NJ was once again part of the celebration. Workshops, showcases, virtual reality, and a fabulous college fair are among the many reasons students are excited to attend! 

Another highlight was the  Fundamentals of Advocacy  workshop, which gave teachers an opportunity to learn about the Teacher Toolkit and many Arts Ed Now resources.Teachers came together over the three day to exercise their creativity and to express what it is that drives their own advocacy efforts. The results were amazing! 

(Note: if you missed the session at the State Teen Arts Fest, don't fear! If you are attending the  NJMEA Summer Workshop , August 7th, 2018 you will find Arts Ed NJ there, as well.) 

Congratulations to Argine Safari, music educator from Pascack Valley High School, who was named  2018 Arts Educator of the Year ! 

A CALL TO ACTION!

Dear Arts Advocate,

Please  send an email   or call your district legislators TODAY and ask them to support budget resolutions offered in the NJ Senate and NJ Assembly that request arts, tourism, and history appropriations be restored to FY05 levels ($22.68 million for arts, $12.76 million for tourism, $3.84 million for history, and $720k for NJ Cultural Trust). Budget resolutions were submitted on June 4 for the FY19 state budget which must be approved by June 30. Senator Troy Singleton (D-NJ 7) and Assemblywoman Pat Egan Jones (D-NJ 5) have submitted these resolutions.

 

If you choose to make a phone call, the pre-worded email will provide you with a phone script. The “ask” is to request your legislators to support this budget resolution as “one of their top three funding priorities.”

 

Your action is needed NOW .  Our goals is to recruit 25 NJ Senators and 50 NJ Assemblypersons to commit their support.

Check out our new Arts Ed Now Fact Sheet! Click to Download

About the Arts Ed NJ

Arts Ed NJ is the unified voice for arts education in New Jersey. Arts Ed NJ (previously the New Jersey Arts Education Partnership) was originally founded in 2007 as a cosponsored program of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, with additional support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Department of Education and Music for All Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation, ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The mission of the Arts Ed NJ is to provide a unified voice for a diverse group of constituents who agree on the educational benefits and impact of the arts, specifically the contribution they make to student achievement and a civilized, sustainable society. Additional information is available at  www.artsednj.org.